


it's nice to have a friend

by wintervoice



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, set prior to ben's fall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:27:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23250175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintervoice/pseuds/wintervoice
Summary: poe and ben, sitting in a (force) tree. you can figure out what happens next.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Ben Solo, Poe Dameron/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	it's nice to have a friend

The Force tree looks as if it’s been on Yavin IV for hundreds of years. No one can explain how it managed to grow so quickly and abundantly, with thick branches and limbs strong enough to hold them both as they climb. Then again, it’s a Force tree. It probably has the same - what does Poe call them? -  _ mystical powers _ as Ben, who could probably use said mystical powers to simply launch himself to the very top of the tree, but half of the fun is chasing after Poe. 

“I don’t know why you like living here,” Ben says, rubbing the back of his hand across his forehead to wipe away the perspiration that’s gathered there. Here is Yavin IV, which is sticky and hot. Ben spends a lot of time on this tiny moon training with Luke, but he's just returned from a trip off planet and the first person he wanted to see was Poe. “It’s so karking _hot_.” 

Poe lets out a low, mocking whistle. “Wow, bud. You’ve gotten mouthy in the last couple weeks. Guess you’re a bigshot now that you’ve been to Dogobah with your uncle?”

“Shut up,” Ben huffs, partly because his hand slips from the little notch he’d been reaching for but mostly because Poe says bud in a way that makes him...well. Bud, pal, and especially kid kick up a torrent of negative reactions Ben isn’t quite sure what to do with, so he trudges forward, swinging a leg up over another branch.

Poe holds out a hand, clamping down on Ben’s arm to help hoist him up and over the limb he’s settled on. His breathing is a little heavy from exertion but he looks out, following Poe’s line of sight, and sees the entire colony, the fields, the forests beyond, and the mountains in the distance. He can’t believe it’s taken him this long to climb up here with Poe.

It’s beautiful. And the way Poe is looking at it is beautiful. His eyes are all alight, like his little moon is Bespin or Coruscant or the lakes on Naboo. Ben has seen all of those things, but they don’t really compare to the way the corner of his best friend’s mouth quirks up when he finally looks at him again. Ben ducks his head to hide the flush in his cheeks. 

They sit like that for a while, straddling the branch and looking out. Ben is thinking about Dagobah, about the relics he’d collected there with Master Skywalker and the fear in his uncle’s eyes when he’d caught Ben venturing too close to a cave that called to him. There’s been tension between them ever since. Luke keeps looking at Ben like he’s waiting for something horrible to happen. Ben wonders if he’ll tell his parents about it. 

Poe is thinking about his mom, as he usually is when they're up this high. He's remembering what it felt like to sit with her in the cockpit and feel her old ship move under his control. Ben sees a brief flicker of Shara's face and then he respectfully leaves his thoughts, focusing instead on the breeze that almost makes the heat and humidity bearable. It ruffles Poe’s hair, breaking him of his reprieve, and then they’re both shifting on the branch until their knees are almost touching. 

Poe looks at him again, all wide smile and frizzy curls that are sticking to his forehead. Ben squeezes his eyes shut and leans forward. 

Maybe it’s because Ben’s only fourteen and it’s his first kiss, but Ben is pretty sure kissing is awkward. Or maybe it’s because he’s all teeth and nose and Poe is very clearly surprised. He tilts back as if stunned by a blaster shot and Ben is left reeling forward. He crashes up against Poe, hands slipping on the bark of the branch as he tries to catch himself. 

“I…” Ben is dying. “S-sorry, I…”

He’s...he’s going to jump from the tree. He’s going to jump or run or...fall? Yes, maybe he’ll fall and the soft earth of Yavin IV will simply swallow him whole. That sounds a lot better than sitting there and trying to avoid Poe’s wide-eyed expression. 

“Hey-”

“Kriff.”

“Will you--”

“I can’t reach…”

“Wait!”

“...the next branch…”

“ _ Ben _ !” 

He whirls back around and this time their knees knock together. This time, it’s Ben that snaps back in surprise because Poe is...really close. So close their noses are almost touching. He tries to shimmy away but his back is already pressed against the wide trunk of the tree. 

Ben swallows and counts to five in his head so his voice doesn’t crack when he says, “What?”

“You surprised me. That’s all.”

Ben chews on the inside of his cheek. He’s not sure what that means. “Okay?”

Poe shakes his head. He looks...kinda nervous, like he hasn’t done this before or at least not very often, which is strange to think about because people  _ look _ at Poe. He knows there are plenty of beings around their age that look at his square jaw, dark eyes and pretty hair because Ben can read their thoughts. 

Poe leans forward until Ben can feel his breath ghosting over his lips. He tugs back a second later. “Sit still, okay?”

Ben wants to nod but then Poe is closing the last fraction of distance between them with a little tilt of his head. 

It’s still nervous, tinged with Ben’s inexperience and his overwhelming willingness to learn. Poe’s palm comes up to cup his cheek. Ben’s hands itch to fist into Poe’s shirt but he balls them into fists instead, lips gently parting and, embarrassingly enough, he sighs into Poe’s mouth. 

Except he doesn’t actually care that it’s embarrassing because as soon as it’s over, he wants to do it again. Poe pulls away, just far enough that Ben can see him swallow and look down, gauging his reaction. Ben clears his throat and waits. And waits. And waits, until he licks his lips and surges forward to kiss him again. 

This time, Ben lays his hands on Poe’s shoulders, one fist gathering in the fabric of his shirt, and lucky for him Poe seems just as eager. They’re still knocking knees but this time it elicits little smiles and they’re both laughing and Ben lifts to get a little closer and - 

Screams. 

His body slips from the branch in his haste. He’s dying for real this time, hurtling through the leaves of the tree and crashing through the foliage on his way down. He can do little to control the momentum of his fall as he scrambles about the empty air, clawing uselessly at twigs and branches. With nothing to slow his descent, gravity half swallows the air from his lungs. 

An invisible Force surges up through him from the very tips of his toes and fingers. He can hear Poe’s panicked  _ Ben! _ from a few feet up as he’s hauled to a stop mid-air. It’s so abrupt that he screeches again, expecting the bone-shattering crunch of fragile body against earth. 

Instead, he manages a shallow breath, twisting in such a way that he’s able to crane his neck and peer around. He’s greeted with the jarring gentleness of a soft thud as he lands, still a little unceremoniously, and blinks rapidly against the sudden stillness of solid ground. 

He’s still trembling by the time Poe jumps down from the lowest branch, his entire body buzzing with the sudden, unexpected power. 

“How did you --”

“I don’t know,” he’s still breathless, but it’s more from the way Poe bends to look him over as if he’s making sure every piece of him is intact. The warmth from his body drains and returns exclusively to his cheeks, which burn hot enough to melt skin from bone, and he gives Poe’s shoulder a gentle shove. “Stop looking at me like that. I’m fine.”

There’s a call from inside the house shortly after. The adults have all gathered inside at Kes’s kitchen table and Ben’s dad is hollering that supper’s been ready for _twenty damn minutes_ and if they don’t get inside…

Poe grabs hold of Ben’s hand again and pulls him to his feet, but this time he doesn’t let go. He holds it all the way across the field and into the house, intertwining their fingers, and gives it a little squeeze when they duck inside the kitchen. Their families start to chide them when they notice and Ben’s ears start to burn, but Poe still doesn’t let go.

He hopes he never does. 


End file.
